12 Most Mind-Blowing Facts About Outer Space

April 30, 2017

All of us gaze up in the sky from time to time and wonder what is out there in outer space.??The universe is surely a beautiful, fascinating and mind-blowing place which keeps uncovering itself to us with each passing day.??It is not just incomprehensibly vast but also mysterious and unexplored.??No one knows how many secrets it has hidden from us but thanks to our amazing scientists and space explorers, there are many facts that we have managed to find out till now. This information may not even be a speck to the number of things there are to know but are enough to astonish us and make us realize that we are definitely not alone. The following is a list of the 12 most mind-boggling facts about outer space which everyone must know.If two pieces of metal touch in space, they will be permanently stuck together

Also known as cold welding, it is a fact that if two pieces of any metal touch in space, they will remain stuck together permanently.??This acts as a big problem in space stations and the exact reason behind this is not completely known.

If Saturn is put in water, it will float

It is a fact that if Saturn is put in water, it will begin to float. This will happen because the density of Saturn is very low at 0.687 gram per centimeter cube. The density of water on the other hand is 0.998 gram per centimeter cube.

Our galaxy is constantly moving

Another astonishing fact about our space is that our galaxy is constantly spinning at a rate of 225 kilometers per second.??Besides this, our galaxy is also moving through space at a rate of 305 kilometers per second which means that in total we are travelling at a speed of 530 kilometers per second.

The moon is moving away from earth

Every year, our natural satellite-moon is moving a little away from earth. It moves apart a distance of 3.8 cm from us each year and this is the result of tidal waves.??Due to this, the earth is slowing down in rotation by about 0.002 seconds per day per century.

The light received by earth right now is 30 thousand years old

Another fact that will surprise you by space is that the light hitting earth right now is about 30 thousand years old! The energy in the sunlight we see today started in the core of the sun about 30000 years ago and took all this time passing through dense atoms.

Lasting footprints

Since there is no air and wind on the moon, the footprints of astronauts can last for millions of years which is longer than most permanent structures on earth.??Also since no meteors or other space particles hit the moon, any impressions made would be virtually there forever.

Venus day

A single day on the planet Venus is longer than an entire year on it. This is because of the fact that it takes 243 days for it to rotate completely on its axis but just 225 days to orbit the sun.

Earth?s extra moons

Another mind-boggling fact about the outer space is that there are a total of 4 asteroids which orbit earth and they are sometimes referred to as earth?s extra moons. These asteroids may not be natural moons even if they tend to remain in orbit forever.

The earth observes millions of meteors everyday

Even though we may not realize it but millions of meteors are observable from earth per day. In total about 20 million meteors pass by our planet and can be observed through telescopes in the sky.

No burping allowed

Another interesting fact about space is that astronauts are not allowed to burp in space. This is because there is no gravity in outer space to separate liquids from gas in their stomachs and due to this reason; all burps will come out wet.

The silent cosmos

If you shouted in outer space, even the person who is just next to you won?t be able to hear what you said. This happens because sound travels as pressure waves through air outside earth and since there is absence of air, there is also no sound at all.

Liquids in Outer Space

Since there is lack of gravity in outer space and also because of the inherent surface tension of liquids, all liquids tend to get converted into free-floating spheres. This is the reason why astronauts often?drink water through straws in a tightly sealed container. If they don?t drink water or liquids like this, they may have to suck these floating spheres from around them.